Inkwell



March 9 1926.

M. F. MORAN INKWELL Filed 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 9 1926. 1,576,348

M. F. MORAN INKWELL Filed Feb. 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nomdoi Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES MARTIN'- F. MORAN, 01E NEKOMA, KANSAS.

rNKwELL.

Application filed February T (ZZZ whom 2'25 may concern.

Be it known that I, MARTIN F. MORAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nekoma, in the county of Bush and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Inkwells, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to ink wells and has for one of its objects the provision of an article of the class described which is simple in construction, being devoid of moving parts, leak-proof and readily cleaned.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic means associated with the funnel of the ink well for accelerating the drainage, back into the reservoir'thereof, of any ink that may be splashed upon the wall of said funnel.

A still further object of the invention is the construction of an improved joint between the cover and body of the ink well which will ordinarily be leak-proof, the interlooking elements of said joint being positioned remote from the zone of possible leakage so that they will not become in separable due to the drying of ink in the interstices therebetween.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description develops.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ink well showing the cover and body portion separated.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on a diametrical plane.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken along the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 1. is a diagram illustratingthe effect of the converging ridges within the funnel upon'a drop of ink through surface tension.

Figure 5 is a cross section showing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a cross section through another modification.

Figure 7 is a section taken along the line 77 of Figure 6.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 represents the body, and 2 the cover of the ink well. The body 1 is imperforate at the bottom. The cover 2 is formed with a re-entrant funnel 10 terminating below the liquid level within the reservoir 3 of the ink well when the latter is filled with ink. In Figure 2,

24, 1925. Serial No. 11,251.

which shows the cover and body in assembled position, it will be observed that a reservoir is formed between said parts which is designed to be filled with ink to about the level indicated, leaving an annular air space between the funnel and the inner side walls of the cover. The joint between the cover and body of the inkwell is arranged in the zone of this air spaceand consists of a flat annular shoulder dformed within the cover which contacts with the flat terminal edge 5 of the body. Said shoulder and edge are each provided; with an annular packing seat preferablyof semicircular cross section, which seats matchwhen the cover andbody are secured to gether and form an annular channel in which is clamped a rubber or, other compressible gasket 6, preferably of circular cross section. Below the gasket 6 the top and body are formed with telescoping cylindrical sides 7 and 8 which preferably make a close fit with one'another, said telescoping sides terminating in threaded portions 9 and 10, respectively, by means of which the cover and body may be screwed together, compressing the gasket 6 andmaking a leak-proof joint. On account of the elongated nature of the telescoping sides of the cover and body the threaded portions of these parts are remote from the gasket 6 sothat should a leak occur through any defect in the gasket or from any other cause the slight amount of ink oozing through said gasket will not reach the threads so that the latter will remain clean and will not become insepa; rably stuck together due to the drying of ink in the interstices between' them;

The funnel 10 is preferably formedwith downwardly converging ridges or grooves 11 extending at. least as far as they normal level of ink within the mouth of the funnel. These ridgesor grooves perform an important function, Surplus ink is frequently shaken from the pen-point into the funnel and lodges upon the walls thereof. In ordinary constructions this isurplus ink rests where itlodges until it evaporates, leaving a sedimentary deposit. In the present construction a drop of ink so shaken upon the wall of the funnel lodges between two ridges,

contacting with the sides thereof, and, by

reason of the converging nature of the ridges, being subject to-a greater surface tension at its lower side than at its upper side, is caused to be rapidly drawn down V the wall of the tunnel into, the body of ink in the mouth of said funnel with a considerably greater acceleration than could be effected by gravity alone. In this manner the ink is returned to the reservoir before it evaporates, thus avoiding loss of ink and also avoiding sedimentary deposits upon the wall of the funnel. A pivotally mounted gravity operated valve 12 controls the mouth of the funnel, said valve being maintained normally closed. by means of the weight 13 at the end oi the stem and opened by pressure ofthe pen. It is to be under- .stood that the integrity of the invention is not disturbed by' the omission of said valve.

, One of the practical drawbacks to the cheap construction of a two-part glass ink well is the diflionlty of molding the threads so that. they willperfectly match. The modified form of myinvention illustrated in Figure 5 embodies a construction which avoids the interengagement of (glass threads and thereby avoids this difficulty. of the invention I have provided a glass body l2having a smooth exterior lateral surface over which the top portion 13 telescopes, the body projecting a slight distance below the top portion when the latter rests upon the gasket 16.

The top portion 13 is threaded at its lower end, and a cap 14 of hard rubber or other suitable material .is provided which screws upon the threaded end-or" the topportion and forces-the body inwardly against the gasket 16, compressing the latter into a fluid-tight condition. Thetop portion may be of any suitablematerial, including glass, for there is no practical impediment to having a molded glass thread mesh withla thread in hard rubber. When it is desired to take this ink well apart for cleansing, the rubber cap 14 is removed and a rod of any suitable nature thrust into the opening 17 at the mouth of the reservoir. The ink: well is then invertedand the outer end of the rod tapped against a firm suriace. This dis lodges the body irom any adhesion which may exist in the joint between it and the top portion permitting the two parts readily to separate.

In Figure 6 is shown still another form of the invention in which the top portion 18 and body 19 are preferably made of glass with a gasket20 interposed in the joint between said parts, onecnly-of said parts, that iszto say the body, being threaded as shown at 21.. The top portion is provided with an annular. shoulder 22 extending thereabout adjacent the threaded endof the bottom, and a, threadedring-nut 23 arranged to engage the body of the ink Well and having an overhanging shoulder 2st engageable with the I annular shoulder 22- ior drawing the parts In this form tails of the construction by which the in-' vention is carried out. It is also to be understood that the several forms of ink well illustrated and described in the present application are merely exemplary of many other equivalent constructions to which the inventive principle may be applicable.

'While I have illustrated and described what Iconsider to be practical, and perhaps, preferred embodiments of my invention, yet it is to be understood that departure from the details of the construction as shown and described may be made within the scope of my invention unless specifically excluded by the limitations expressly set forth in the claims. I

Having described my invention what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An ink well comp-rising a cover formed with a re-entrant funnel and with an internal annular shoulder, a body telescoping within said cover and having an annular terminaledge co-acting with said shoulder,

a-cap engaging said body and screwed upon the lower end of said cover, and a gasket fitted between said shoulder and edge and compressed when said cover and body are screwed together. a r

2. An .ink well comprising a cover formed with a re-entrant funnel and with an inter nal annular shoulder, a body living a smooth exterior surface telescoping within said cover and having an annular terminal edge coacting with said shoulder, said body projecting slightly below said, cover, agasket fitted between said shoulder and edge, and a cap engaging the projecting end of said body and screwed upon the lower end of said cover for compressing said gasket when said cover and body are screwed together.

3. An ink welleomprising a cover formed MARTIN F.. MORAN. 

